Darker than the Blackest Hole
by AyanamiEraclea
Summary: Eric didn't know what he got himself into when he fell in love with his best friend. But everyone knows that people aren't always what they appear to be...the case with Craig. What is he really on the inside? Rated for dark themes, language, and violence.
1. Prologue

YAY. More CraigxEric from me. After my poems were well-received and the lemon was generally praised, I decided to just screw my other fics and go to this one. This is due to my ADD. I have so many ideas floating around in my head.

Once I finish this one and the sequel I swear on my life I will update my older ones like the Chatroom fic, Little Superior Dude, Keeper, and Twilight Town Psychiatric Facility.

Except I dunno what the hell I want to do with Little Superior Dude. I mean it does need to have the last chapter. But I dunno what I want to do with it after that. It feels like it should be longer. I have some ideas from reviewers for Chatroom so I'm sure I can manage a few more chapters on that. I know Keeper's gonna be a pain in my ass because way more people reviewed than I anticipated. And Twilight Town's gonna be 15+ chapters. I can feel it in my bones.

So, the natural order of my updates will be as follows:

-This fanfic, which has been burned in my brain for about a month

-This fanfic's sequel, which is going to be about the same length if not longer since it will also be part action/adventure

-Little Superior Dude's final chapters. I'm aiming for 8 but since Vexen's already found the antidote there isn't much else to say. I should have never brought Alice in.

-Not another Chatroom Fic, which has some ideas from reviewers so I'll make it to at least 3 chapters.

-Twilight Town Psychiatric Facility, which is still a badass idea that hasn't been done for Kingdom Hearts yet.

-Keeper, which only needs a few more chapters: Mother, Father, Lover. That's it. So don't bitch at me for it.

SO NOW I CAN START. Hurray.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o—o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

Prologue

It was like hitting a delete button. That's all God had to do. Click on him and Craig and hit delete. And Craig was practically shoving the mouse in their direction.

"Please, Craig, don't drive…not when you're like this." Craig's clouded eyes met Eric's.

"Look, d'you think I givva damn if yer on top all the time? Dun tell me whut ta do…"

"Listen to yourself. Your speech is slurred. How much have you had, Craig? And how many heroin shots did you take?"  
"I'm not on heroin." Craig said. "Those'r knife pricks…"

"Why do you have to hurt yourself? Do I not make you happy enough?" You could cut the tension with a knife. Craig slammed the car door behind him.

"I'm coming, too, then…" Eric got into the car. Craig looked at Eric, smiled, and took his hand.

"Think we're gonna die?"

"Please let me drive, Craig."

"No. I'm all right. Seriously now. See, I'm not even slurring." It was the truth, but Eric could tell that it took all of his effort not to slur.

"…whatever, then." There was no point in arguing. Maybe if Craig was told he was drunk, he'd be a better driver. Or something. He started the car and backed out of the driveway.

"Hold on."

He sped down the street at about 15 miles per hour above the speed limit.

"Craig, slow down! PLEASE!"

"We're not going too fast, idiot…" Craig said, swerving slightly. They made it onto a main road.

"CRAIG!" Craig turned to Eric just as the car sped into the guardrail…

"…I love you. I'm sorry. You're mom won't be pleased." The car flipped and landed in a vacant lot. There it caught fire.

God hit delete. As Eric's head hit the pavement, he hoped that he wouldn't hit the recycling bin on Craig.

_Craig, please…_

God hit delete and it was over.

_I love you._

_How did it happen? Why did it come to this? We were supposed to leave…we were supposed to go away from here, to Europe._

_What did I do to make you sick? Why, Craig…?_

_I thought you loved me._

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o--o

That was a really bad prologue/epilogue.

I SUCK HARD.


	2. Obsession

HOLY CRAP AN UPDATE.

DUDE WTF?

Alice is updating. For once in her life. But yeah. Consider yourselves extremely blessed that I have time to update. Nevermind the fact that I haven't all summer. I did my summer projects and I have a ton of homework. I mean, Jesus fuck. This is my first year of high school and I'm updating.

EXTREMELY BLESSED, YE HEAR?

Chapter 1

Obsession

_I almost lost him again. Again. Again. How can I be this stupid? He almost chose Mary over me. And two months ago…Mindy over me…and 2 years ago…Melina over me._

_What the hell am I doing wrong?_

Craig Ramirez was standing in a goddamn dumpster. He could not believe that he owed Drake Parker his love life. He was standing in a dumpster, staring into his best friend's eyes, singing Beautiful Dreamer, and he almost lost Eric again. Plus, you know, he owed Drake Parker, the Bisexual Manwhore Wonder, his love life.

Then again, it wasn't the first time he had almost lost Eric.

Eric _did _date Mindy Crenshaw for 3 weeks a month before the last. That might not have counted, though. Josh told him that Eric had said that he was just "cleansing his homosexual urges" or something like that. Craig felt immense relief after he heard that.

Almost as much relief as when they were at Astro Camp in the ninth grade and he overheard Eric jerking off, calling him name in a dorm bathroom when Craig could have _sworn_ he liked this pretty girl Melina they had met.

_Almost. 3 times. But what if the fourth time is the charm?_

_I should say something…?_

"Craig? Craig, you OK?" Drake had left. It was the two of them again.

"Oh. Yeah." Craig said meekly.

"So you need a ride home or something?" Craig grinned. "I'm sure I can catch up to Drake and-"

"No." Craig said firmly. "I need to talk to you." Eric yawned.

"Tomorrow morning much?" Craig looked into his eyes intensely.

"No. Now. I need to get it over with now." Eric looked puzzled.

"Serious about this one, are you?" He said jokingly. Craig nodded slowly.

"Dead serious." Eric looked even more puzzled now.

"All right." Craig opened his mouth to speak, but Eric laughed.

"It's a bit hard to take you seriously when you're in the dumpster." Craig had to admit that Eric was right on this one. However, it was a bit easier to get into the dumpster than to get out.

"Need help?" Eric asked with a chuckle.

"Yeah. Thanks." Their hands were entwined briefly as Craig was pulled out of the trash. But then he slipped. Into Eric's arms.

Two blushes. Then slowly Craig pulled away.

"Sorry about that…" He felt Eric's heart pound.

"Nah, it's fine. So what was that big important thing you wanted to say?" Craig paused for a minute to collect his thoughts.

Seriously, though. How do you tell your best friend that you've been in love with him since you were ten? Do you explain it thoroughly, so that he knows every detail? Or is it more of a gradual thing? Do you leave in the part where your other best friend tells you that the object of your affection dated a girl so that he could push his thoughts away from you? Do you confess that you heard him beat off to him when you were both fourteen? Maybe this guy is bi-curious?

The answer finally came to him. Slowly, he walked back over to Eric and wrapped his arms around him. He felt Eric's heart pound harder as they hesitantly melted into each other.

"I love you." Craig whispered softly into Eric's neck. The other responded with a nod.

OH SNAP. That was a REALLY bad chapter. There are two reasons for the beginning sucking so badly:

I am sick as a dog with fucking mono out of every disease I could possibly have.

I put WAY too much thought into the middle, end, and sequel so I want to pay as little attention to the beginning as possible.

Therefore, the prologue and the first two chapters are really just exposition. The ball gets moving chapter 3. Or maybe the middle of two, depending on how I can get the next scene going next update.

So. REVIEW PLIS KTHXBAI. Oh yeah and the next update won't be for a WHILE.

NEXT TIME:

"_You can just get the fuck out of my house, then. I want nothing to do with you anymore!"_

"_HOW COULD YOU DO THIS TO OUR FAMILY?"_

"_So I found this really cheap apartment…sort of an underground haven for people like us who were kicked out. The landlord's pretty cool."_


	3. This House Is Not A Home

So I got to stay home today because my fuckface boyfriend Alex gave me mono. This means I get to:

A. Write more of this

B. Read more Gods and Generals and finish the homework

I shall be alternating between the two. However, since it was kinda my fault that I got it in the first place because I KNEW he just got over it, I have to go back to school tomorrow. Pretty dumb, I know. So. Um. Yeah. The story. IT ACTUALLY STARTS NOW.

Chapter 2

This House Is Not A Home

"Are you cold?" Craig asked softly. They sat on the curb now. They were still relatively close, but he just wanted an excuse to place an arm around Eric again.

"Hn. It did get a bit chilly." Craig smiled and pulled him close.

"So do you really love me or are you just tricking me?" Craig looked startled at the question.

"I was not aware that you did anything worth tricking you back for." Eric smiled in relief.

"OK. Just checking..." Craig laughed hysterically.

"Do you _honestly_ think I would do that to you anyway?" Eric shrugged.

"I guess not." They sat for another fifteen minutes before Craig cleared his throat again.

"So what do we do now?" He asked.

"Well we already did the declaration part..."

"No. I mean how in the hell do we get home?" Eric rolled his eyes and started rummaging through his pockets.

"I could call my mom."

"No. Drake knows. I could tell he knows. _We _don't want to deal with your mom right now, OK?" Craig sat and pondered this a while longer while Eric called Drake. Yelling over the phone ensued and he hung up angrily.

"He watched us hold each other and told my mom. Which means he told your mom. Which mean we should call Kevin." Craig nodded vigorously.

"Good idea."

Kevin was Craig's older brother that lived somewhere in town. He didn't talk much to the rest of the family, except his dad. This estrangement was due to the fact that he had a gay roommate and he himself was openly bisexual. Craig hadn't seen him since he was like twelve and Kevin had gone off to college. So how do they talk to him now? Four years went by. Maybe Craig was no longer in Kevin's life.

"Yeah. Let's just call him and see what happens. I'll get his number from Mindy's sister." Eric called the first number and started talking to Mindy. He then took out a piece of paper and started writing.

"OK. Thanks, Ashley. You're a real help." He hung up again. They stared at the phone.

"I'll dial it if you want, Craig." Craig shook his head.

"No. I want to do this. He's _my_ brother." He grabbed the phone and started dialing.

"Hello? Oh hi Ian. This is Craig. Yes, Kevin's brother. I need help. No, I'm not hurt. Me and my boyfriend need a ride home. Yes, I meant boyfriend." Eric's heart leapt when Craig mentioned that he was his boyfriend.

"Hello? Hey Kevin! What have you been up to lately? Really? That's cool. Are you gonna stay and get a doctorate or something? Oh. OK. Nothing much. Yeah. That's basically why I called you because someone let it slip that I was to mom. Yeah. His name's Eric. I know what you mean. Well, I need a ride back to the house so that I can inform her properly. _Thank you._ Can you drive him to his first? I just need to see if he gets his ass kicked by his family so that we can tell authorities. YES it worries me. OK. Thanks a lot, Kevin. Really. Bye." He clicked off.

"He'll be here in ten minutes."

"Awesome. And what's this about my ass getting kicked?" Eric asked curiously.

"Because I know that your dad will willingly wait outside until four in the morning with his boxers on for you. Then when you come out of the car he will shoot you."

"Why, though?" Craig cupped Eric's face in his hands. Trembling, he pulled Eric's face closer to his own until their lips touched. Then his hands slid around Eric's waist as Eric slowly wrapped his arms around Craig's neck. Craig slid his tongue into Eric's mouth, causing the other boy to purr softly.

The kiss ended three or four minutes later.

"How did you feel?" Craig asked firmly, his eyes locked with Eric's.

"I was _on the moon_ just now. I always felt that way with you, but that time it was...a chill went up my spine and I just..." He sighed.

"And that was your first kiss?" He asked suspiciously.

"Uh-huh."

"You're awfully good at it." Craig blushed.

"Um, thanks?" Hesitantly their arms locked again. Eric rested his head on Craig's shoulder and they waited.

Finally an old minivan pulled up to the curb. The window rolled down and Craig almost had a heart attack.

_Just what in the __**hell**__ happened to my brother?_

Kevin used to look very similar to Craig. Tall, scrawny, dusty brown hair...normal. However, now his hair was three different shades of blue, he had his nose pierced and he wore colored bright blue contacts. Nevertheless, most everything else stayed the same. Eye shape, body build...Craig could still tell it was his brother.

"K-Kevin?" Kevin looked at the two other men in the back and all three began to hoot and hollar in laughter.

"It's all right if you're speechless. First time I saw Dad after the incident he wanted to know why I was dressed like a hooker. It's good to see you again, kiddo. Although the resemblence to me back in my forcing-myself-to-be-straight-for-Mother days is a bit eerie." His eyes traveled to Eric.

"Holy Christ. Is that Eric Blonnowitz? The little nerdy kid that would always come over and eat with us?" Eric's eyes widened.

"Um, yeah, Kevin. It's Eric. Remember? Best friend?"

"And now he's your boyfriend?" Craig nodded slowly.

"Yes, Kevin." Kevin once again turned back to one of the other guys. The one groaned and handed something to Kevin. After seeing the puzzled look on Craig's face, Kevin laughed again.

"Bet Ian twenty dollars that you two would end up being gay for each other." Craig turned bright red.

"Y-you did?"

"Yup. Looks like I won. Hop in." Craig looked at Eric and took his hand. They stepped into the car.

The two boys didn't talk much on the way home, at least to each other. Their minds were both numb with emotion. They were very deeply in love with each other, relieved that one of them had finally come out and said it, but they were also afraid. Especially Eric. After all, neither of their mothers supported the gay rights movement exactly. In fact, it had been the cause of Mr. and Mrs. Ramirez's divorce and her decision to subsequently kick her oldest son out of the house for being bisexual. However, Eric's situation was worse. His father was an _extreme_ conservative who regularly brought Eric to Rabbi Thompson to "cleanse his homosexual urges" towards his best friend.

Thus Eric made the decision to be atheist, but that's beside the point. His father was going to blow a blood vessel. Perhaps he already had.

"Here's your house, little man." The other man had said.

"Th-thank you." Eric said. He was frightened beyond words by now. Craig squeezed his hand.

"I'm right here. We're staying just in case something happens." He pulled Eric close again.

"Shh. It's OK." Eric pulled away after another five minutes.

"I'm ready." Everyone looked at Craig, as if they were expecting something...

_Kiss him goodnight maybe?_

Craig leaned up and gave Eric a soft kiss on the lips. It didn't have the same intensity as the other kiss had, rather, it was more of a warm, endearing, loving kiss.

"I love you. Me, Kevin, Ian, and Levi will wait for fifteen minutes. Try to get to a window and pound on it if something happens."

"Right. I love you, too." He closed the door.

The four young men waited in the car. Nothing happened. Fifteen minutes later, Kevin looked at his watch.

"We need to go." Craig's eyes widened.

"What if he's dead in there?"

"He'll be fine. We would have heard something. He would have struggled. Let's go." Kevin started the car and sped off. Craig stood up a bit and looked behind him to Eric's house, slowly fading from view. No one spoke until about halfway through the drive.

"He'll be OK." Levi said reassuringly. Craig jumped.

"I'm not so sure. He's never been much of a fighter." Kevin looked at his brother through the mirror.

"Let's worry about you for right now. If mom kicks you out, you can stay with me until I can talk to this landlady I know. She runs a haven center for people like us who were kicked out of our houses. She's like really rich so she pays rent for teenagers in the house until they can get a job and support themselves." Craig nodded.

"You'll still have to go to school and all, but you won't have to take the bus anymore. It's right there basically."

"OK. Seriously, Kevin. Thanks for everything. I thought you hated me like you hate mom." Kevin shrugged.

"I don't _hate _mom, per se. She's a maniacal, close-minded, manipulative bitch who broke my father's heart. But she _is_ my mom. Here's the old house. Ew, they painted it yellow?"

"Yeah. I thought it looked nice." He opened the door and stepped out.

"Uh-oh." Kevin said.

"Huh?"

"Look behind you, squirt." Craig whirled around to find his mother, giving him the death glare, pointing through the door.

"We'll be down the street, OK?" Craig nodded and gulped. He walked briskly, calmly up the driveway, through the door. His mother stomped back and slammed the door behind her.

"Sit." She said in a deadly voice. Craig sat at the kitchen table.

"Drake Parker came by about an hour ago. He told me something interesting." Craig nodded.

"And what was that?"

"He told me the completely ridiculous story that you and Eric were hugging each other in a homosexual manner. And you would _think_ that a smart boy like you would learn from the mistakes of his brother." Craig's blood boiled at this comment.

"So being in love is a mistake, according to you?" His mother's eyes widened.

"So it's true. You've become a fag. Even worse than your brother, aren't you? Since you won't even have a woman." Craig pounded on the table.

"Do _not_ treat me like a child. I've made my decision and if you had a heart you'd get over it and maybe embrace it like Dad did!"

"Your father is an imbecile who was blinded with love for a defective son. He was also having an affair and wanted _any_ excuse to divorce me!"

"_Anyone_ would divorce you, Mom! You want to know why?"

"Why is that?"

"Because you're a ruthless, cold-hearted maniac!" Mrs. Ramirez gasped.

"Get out." Craig blinked.

"What?"

"Go up to your room, get anything that can fit in your bag, and get out."

"Why?"

"Because you are no longer clean in God's eyes. Of course..." She grinned wryly.

"...you could always change your mind." Craig shook his head intensely.

"I love him. Can't change your mind on something like that."

"You can just get the fuck out of my house, then. I want nothing to do with you anymore!" Craig flipped her off. Then he bolted up the stairs. He grabbed clothes, books, pictures, his phone, and a small swiss army knife.

He stomped back down the steps. His mother met him at the door.

"I know that your brother did this to you. So I'll give you a chance to keep your phone. You have until the end of the month to find a job and support the phone or it'll get turned off. The bill will now be sent to the streets, won't it?" Craig glared. Then, without a word, he slammed the door behind him and started walking down the street.

"Hey...I see him!" Levi said, pointing out the window.

"Right." Kevin drove the rest of the way so that Craig didn't have to walk.

"Let's go down to your friend's house and get him." Ian said calmly. "I'm sure he'll want to come with you to Becky's apartment complex."

"All right." Craig said shakily. "That's fine with me. But they probably have him locked in his room. Do you have a ladder?" Kevin grinned.

"This isn't my van. It's Levi's. Levi's dad is a handyman and he lent Levi a ladder for tonight." Craig sighed in relief.

"Thanks. Really. You don't have to." Kevin laughed.

"Nah. I'm just really glad that you joined me and Dad's gay little faction." Everyone in the van laughed. Lighthearted conversation filled the car until they pulled up in front of Eric's house.

"Right then. I'll place the ladder and you climb up to the window. Which one is it?" Levi said.

"Top left." Levi nodded, and with great precision he propped the ladder onto the house. He looked at Craig and nodded. Shaking with fear, Craig climbed up to the window and tapped softly.

A bloody hand slapped at the fastener and opened it with tremendous effort.

"Eric!"

Eric was a mess. His glasses were lying broken on the dresser, his nose was bleeding, and his lip was swollen. His arms were all bruised and he looked like he was barely concious.

"Eric...what happened?"

"Dad." He said hoarsely. "Told him how I felt. He didn't like it. Beat me."

"Oh my God. Wait right here. I'll be right back with Kevin, OK?" Eric nodded.

"Ow. It hurts to nod." Craig was on the verge of tears.

"Just hold on until I can get help." He climbed down.

"Kevin! KEVIN!" He ran back to the car and almost tripped.

"Kevin, he's hurt...really bad..." Kevin nodded slowly as Craig recounted what Eric had told him.

"All right. Can you get into the room?"

"Yeah, the window's big enough.

"Get into the room. Tie him to some sheets and lower him down to Levi. He'll carry the poor kid to me and we'll take care of him at my apartment. Is anything broken?"

"No...I don't think so..."

"Then this should work. Even so." He pointed back at Ian.

"Ian's in med school. He has supplies." Craig nodded thickly and climbed back up. Suddenly the front door slammed.

"WHO THE HELL ARE YOU PEOPLE?"

_Fuck. It's Maureen._

"CRAIG? YOU'RE NOT WELCOME HERE ANYMORE, FAGGOT!" She screamed.

"Who the Christ is that?" Kevin said.

"Eric, COME ON!" Craig leapt into the room and started fumbling around with the sheets. They were spotted with blood. Finally he had tied the sheet around Craig's waist and started lowering him. Pounding on the door ensued.

"GET THE FUCK AWAY FROM ERIC!" Mr. Blonnowitz was _pissed off_. Like beyond belief.

The sheet slipped off of Eric.

"ERIC!" Levi caught him and placed him gingerly on the grass.

"He's fine! JUMP!" Craig closed his eyes and jumped out the window, caught by Levi.

"RUN!" Levi picked Eric up and carried him bridal style to the car. They abandoned the ladder and jumped into the car. Kevin floored the gas pedal and they sped off.

"HOW COULD YOU DO THIS TO OUR FAMILY?" Maureen was chasing them but she gave up. Craig and Levi were breathing heavily. Craig laid Eric's head on his lap and started stroking his bloody face.

"Eric..." Eric's eyes were half open and he didn't respond.

"Eric?" He placed a hand on Eric's chest. Then he yelled.

"HIS HEART ISN'T BEATING, KEVIN!"

So. Yeah. That took a way long time. I was almost afraid I'd lose the file because I'm on my grandma's computer. So I decided not to bring in Craig telling Eric about the apartment until next chapter.

A note for Drake'sgirl: Drake being bisexual will be key later on in the story. Stay tuned!

WILL Eric die? WILL there be a hospital stay?

Find out next time!


	4. Arms of Sorrow

Hokay, so I'm starting chapter 4 after a bit of a punishment. This is the most I've worked on something. Ever. For real. So here it is.

Chapter 4

Arms of Sorrow

Morning. Craig woke up on the couch in Kevin's apartment and stood.

_When are they going to wake up?_

He looked over at the clock. 6:37 AM. Belleview Hospital hours didn't start until 9. But that didn't mean that Craig wasn't going to be prepared. Thus he walked into the room belonging to Kevin and Ian.

"Kev?" He poked his brother's cheek.

"Huhn?" Kevin sat up and glared.

"What the _hell_, Craig?"

But his face softened when he saw the anxious look on Craig's face.

"Sorr-"

"No, it's fine. You're worried about Eric. It's understandable. I'm a bit surprised that the police didn't come looking for us after our grand exit, though. Eric must have said something."

"Eric was almost dead when we left him at the hospital. You don't think Parker…?" There was a pregnant pause.

"I owe him twice now." Craig said softly. Kevin nodded.

"You hungry, squirt?" By this time the other two were up.

"Yeah."

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It was just like Kevin to make a four course meal when they had only hours until visitors hours began at the hospital. Craig made several exasperated glances at the clock.

"Craig, chill out. We'll be there early, OK?" Craig sighed.

"Oh, all right." He took a piece of toast and nibbled at it. He just wasn't that hungry today. He supposed he'd never eat _again_ if something seriously wrong had happened to Eric. Kevin cleared the plates and began putting potatoes on them. It was 8:09 when all of the plates were clear.

"Can we _go_ now?" Kevin looked at his brother and chuckled.

"Wanna shower and dress first, bro?" Craig looked down at himself and a small smile graced his face.

"I guess."

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When everyone was finally ready to go, they piled up into Levi's van and drove down to the hospital. Craig looked out the window and collected his thoughts.

_**Please**__ whatever sick being controls this stuff…don't let him be hurt to bad, or worse…_

_I don't know what I'll do without him._

There was a possibility that he'd be dead already when they arrived to the hospital. Even though they were very much entitled to know what happened, it wasn't the hospital's _job_ to contact anyone but the closest family.

_Even though they're the ones who did this to him._ Craig thought bitterly.

They arrived at Belleview Medical at 8:46 AM. They walked in briskly.

"Excuse me?" Kevin asked the receptionist at the desk. She looked up. She was a pretty young girl.

"Yes?"

"Visiting hours begin at 9:00, yes?"

"They actually open at 8:30 on weekends." Kevin winced as Craig looked at him furtively.

"And he we were rushing around making sure everyone was ready…well, no matter. We would like to see Eric Blonnowitz?"

"Relation to the patient?"

"Um, Craig is better at explaining it than any of us." Craig walked forward.

"I'm his boyfriend." He said softly, sedately. The receptionist gave them a pitying sigh.

"I'm sorry, but his immediate family has not arrived yet." Kevin stared the girl down.

"Please, ma'am. We have his word that his father and mother disowned him."

"I'm sorry, but until he wakes up or his family arrives, I cannot believe you and therefore you may not go up to the room. Hospital policy." Craig looked exasperatedly at his brother.

"So let me get this straight." Kevin said angrily, clearing his throat. "The ones who did this to him get to go up and finish the jobs, but the ones who _saved his life_ aren't." The receptionist's eyes got wide.

"Oh dear. I'm sorry. I had heard that there was a boy rushed in late last night by four young men. One of them had blue hair according to the doctor. Are you Craig and Kevin Ramirez?" Kevin nodded slowly.

"_Yes_, we are. May we _please_ go up, now?" The young woman nodded, and then smiled at Craig.

"Don't you run. Room 806." Craig nodded again. He was numb to all the talking at this point.

_I need to see Eric._ It was the only thing he thought about at that point. Slowly he walked to the elevator and the four young men went inside.

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He pushed the key into the lock and turned. A trembling hand found the doorknob and the door opened.

The hospital room was cheery enough. A TV was blaring in the other patient's part of the room. Some pretty girl. They seemed to be drawn to Eric somehow.

"Oh." She said when she turned hopefully toward the door. Her face fell. But her face brightened when the three other men walked in.

"What in the hell are you doing here, Ep?" Kevin said with a chuckle.

"Broke a rib." The woman said softly. She had long brown hair that got into her face, brown eyes, and a British accent. Craig looked puzzled. Kevin cleared his throat.

"Craig, remember when I told you about that apartment complex? This is one of the co-owners. Eponine Elvira Emerson."

"Lawd love a duck. This is the brother you were talking about? He's a cutie pie!" She said. Then she held on to her chest and winced.

"Fell off the second story. Wonder nothing else was broken, eh?"

"Yeah. Are you sure it wasn't a hate crime?" Eponine looked at him thoughtfully.

"Well, none of the three of us are gay…but I'm sure that because of our services we've caused a lot of animosity." She looked up at a clock on the wall.

"Jesus. Lucy and Adam were supposed to be here." Craig was distanced from the group at that point. He was almost crying when he saw Eric. His eyes traveled to the wrist, which was in a cast. His face had a huge bruise on it and there was a cut on his eyelid. He looked like a murder victim. He was silent for fifteen minutes until a doctor came in.

"What the hell did they do to him exactly?" He asked.

"Broke his wrist. The words "useless limp wrist" were written on his other arm." He pulled up the sleeve. Craig gasped. Apparently. Or was it…?

"Owww….doctor do you have to do that every five…" Eric looked up and saw a blurry but familiar figure.

"Glasses." He said simply.

"Huh?"

"I need my glasses, sir." He said sharply. Craig smiled and took Eric's hand on the broken wrist.

"It's me." Eric's muscles relaxed in relief. Tears poured down his cheek.

"Oh, Craig…" Craig leaned down and kissed him on the forehead.

"Hush, now. You're OK. I promise you I'll keep you safe." He could hear his voice cracking even though he promised himself that no matter how bad Eric looked he wasn't going to choke up…

He felt the tears start pouring down his own cheek and he knew the entire deal went to hell. He wanted to hold Eric so badly but was afraid to break him. Levi looked at Ian who looked at Kevin. All three nodded and left the room.

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Craig slumped into the chair next to the bed and started stroking Eric's hair softly.

"So Kevin told me about this apartment complex. For people like us. Whose parents are a bit against the whole homosexual thing…you know?" Eric half-nodded.

"Too bad we don't have that kind of money."

"No, under-18s stay for free until they can get on their feet. We have scholarships to get some good schools so we can just go and get jobs."

"Oh. Well." Eric smiled. "That's good." Craig leaned down and kissed his lips softly.

"As soon as you get yourself out of here…"

"…you'll be spending the summer with your family in Puerto Rico." Craig and Eric were paralyzed with fear. They recognized the voice.

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AHHH. The following problems prevented this chapter from being written:

I'm busy with Alex's band. Because, you know, he can't just write his own lyrics. He has to use mine.

I have school.

My mom, upset with my lack of work around the house and the fact that I'm failing stuff, created a points system that I have to use to get online.

WRITERS BLOCK.

SO ENJOY WHAT YOU GOT.


	5. Seperation Anxiety

Right then. I got grounded again. Aren't I the greatest? So I'm just going to write as much as I can before I get grounded again. I also apologize for getting chapter numbers wrong, since the first upload is marked prologue and the second was Chapter 1. Then I THINK I started messing it up by marking Upload #3 Chapter 3. I fixed as much as I could but if you see anything else wrong with the chapter titles please alert me to it.

Drake'sgirl is my home girl. I love her to death for reviewing every freaking chapter. I KNOW she's waiting for Drake but the way the story's going she'll need 3 more chapters of waiting time, which I promise will be done before this weekend's over.

NOTE: This chapter contains a scene from the actual show which is considerably altered from what happened in the actual show. I do not own these characters. They are the property of Nick.

Chapter 4

Separation Anxiety

"What do you mean by that?" Eric asked his father. He was clearly terrified of the man in front of him. Mr. Blonnowitz moved closer to the bed. Craig stood up angrily.

"Get away from him! You've hurt him enough."

"Stay out of it." Eric's mother said sharply. "This is a family affair."

"He's more family to me than you are!" Eric said defiantly.

"Quiet, you. We are still, legally, your guardians. We're doing this for your sister's sake. She's absolutely heartbroken over this. She begged us to let you come with us to Puerto Rico. She said maybe you'd change your mind after seeing all the pretty beach girls."

"Well I'm not _going._ So that little theory didn't work out."

"You'll do what I say until I disown you. This may be in four months time. We're leaving Monday." Mr. Blonnowitz said menacingly. Eric looked helplessly at Craig.

"I refuse to let him go with you on the grounds that you put him in the hospital in the first place!" Mr. Blonnowitz sneered at him.

"Do you have any proof?"

"Only about 4 witnesses, you slime ball!" Craig felt unusually bold. The scary man went to hit him but was caught by a small, slight hand.

"Dad. Don't hit him." The clear voice of a fourteen-year-old girl resonated through the room.

"Please, Craig. Let it go. Just let it go." She said. "I mean, I'm still going to be friends with you. I apologize for last night. It was wrong. You're a pretty cool dude even though you're a homo. You helped me with my hair problem. But…I just don't want my family to argue anymore, you know?" Craig looked at her.

"If he was in love with a girl this would be different, correct?" Craig said angrily.

"Please, Craig. I just…I want him to be happy!"

"I _am_ happy, Mo." Eric said, clearly frustrated.

"I want Mom and Dad to be happy, too, Eric!" Mrs. Blonnowitz grabbed her daughter by the back of the head.

"That's _enough_, Maureen Elizabeth." She said, angry enough to use the girl's middle name.

"Eric is going with us whether he likes it or not. I have collected his report cards, his grades for finals, his SAT scores, his things for summer projects, and his senior year things, including the class ring." Eric and Craig looked at each other. There was no more point in arguing.

"I promise I'll come back to you, Craig. It's only three months, ma chou." Eric said softly, using the French language that made every conversation the two had so much more beautiful. Craig nodded, trying to get rid of the heavy lump in his throat.

"Will you be OK, darling?" He asked, grasping Eric's shaking hand.

"Oh, I'll be fine." He said in an unsure tone. Mr. Blonnowitz nodded.

"Right then. You will not see him. All letters will be intercepted. Eric's phone will be taken away. Zero contact." Craig felt the tears pour down his cheek now. He'd die. He'd lie down and die without Eric next to him.

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Mindy tried. She really did. Mindy's cold, distant, and somewhat psycho personality left her very few friends besides Josh, but Craig and Eric were two of them and even though she knew she couldn't do anything about the fact that Eric was leaving, she could make the event a bit more enjoyable for the two of them.

Thus the idea to have the party was born.

"It'll be fun, Craig. Might make it a bit easier to let him go." Craig looked at her like she was a space alien.

"Nothing on the face of this planet is going to make it easier for me to let him go. This is such BS." Mindy took his arm.

"Look. I bet I've known longer than anyone that you guys loved each other very much. I always watched the way you look at him and tried to look at Josh the same way. I never said it was going to be easy. I said it might be easier. Now." She said, smiling for the first time in a while.

"Where should we have this party?"

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Obviously they couldn't have it in the apartment. It was too small. And Eric's parents definitely were not letting him have the party at their house. Mindy's house was being remodeled. So she convinced Josh to let him have the party at their house. She invited a few people, Drake invited a few people, Josh invited a few people, and Craig told Eric about it. It seemed like a pretty good party.

Until the day of, that is.

Welcome to the Fold by Filter played incessantly that Saturday, Mindy's ring tone on Craig's phone. Each of them had a specific ring tone, but Mindy's was a bit out there.

Apparently someone died. She had to go to a funeral.

Clayton had speech classes.

Michelle had a wedding. So in some sort of sick irony, it would be just them and a few other people. Yup. Really cheery. They _NEEDED_ drunken Mindy. Drunken Mindy was the _LIFE_ of the party.

But hey, party minus drunken Mindy was still a party. And it was the last time Craig was allowed to see Eric before he left.

Jesus. It really was. God, he wanted Eric. Once you get past all the lovey-dovey gushy feelings and then his death scare…the sexual attraction comes in full force.

_God, he has a beautiful body…beautiful hips that I just want to grab and …_

No. Don't think about that. It'll just make things worse when he leaves.

He left the house, bracing himself. Damn. Here we go with the crying shit again…

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He knocked softly on the door. Eric's mother let him in coldly and he walked out to the backyard where Eric was sleeping for the past week.

"Ready to go, mon amour?" Eric nodded and took Craig's hand. Craig pulled him up and into his lips for a kiss.

"I am so in love with you." He said when the kiss was finished. Eric looked at him darkly.

"Don't say that right now. Don't kiss me right now. If we do this before I leave we'll never be able to handle it." Craig nodded.

"Right."

They reached Josh's house where Drake's friends all were.

"This was a bad idea…" Craig said. Eric kissed him on the cheek affectionately.

"Don't start anything, OK…"

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Awkwardness was always particularly horrible for Craig, especially when he was around Eric. I mean, Craig's _shy_ as _hell_ already without things like parties getting involved.

"So." Josh said, looking around nervously.

"This is a…great party, Josh." Eric said cheerfully but unsure of what to say next. Then Drake just had to open his mouth.

"Ooh, yeah, you're right. I hope the cops don't get called on us." Then Josh tried to change the subject and it all went to hell.

"So, Eric, are you excited about Puerto Rico?" Without thinking, Eric blurted something out that he really should not have said.

"Yeah! It's gonna be great!" Everyone looked nervously at Craig.

"Wait, Craig, I didn't mean…"

"If you want to leave me so badly, then leave!" He was clearly wounded by this. He stood up like the seat had burned him and walked out, bumping into Megan.

"Hey, Craig." Craig looked away.

"I'm in no mood to talk." He walked out and slammed the door.

Eric was in absolute shock. He didn't know Craig could be so sensitive.

"I'll be right back." He walked out next.

"Craig! Craig, please wait up!" He grabbed Craig's arm and pulled him around to face him.

"What the hell is your problem, exactly?" He asked angrily.

"You! Telling people how happy you'll be in Puerto Rico…" Eric's face fell. Then it brightened and he laughed.

"Do you think this is _funny?_" Eric pulled Craig close.

"You know I just said that so that people don't think something's up. Mindy's the only one that knows about us. I don't think people _should_ know about us yet. Not until I get back." Craig was crying again…

"Do you really love me?" Eric brushed noses with him.

"I love you more than anything in the world. I love you more than chemistry." Craig smiled.

"OK. Listen. I'm gonna go back to Kevin's, OK?" Eric nodded. He could tell that Craig needed to be alone to deal with all of his emotion.

"All right." Craig started walking. Eric grabbed his arm.

"I love you. Don't be depressed about this, OK? It's only 3 months." Craig nodded thickly and started running. Eric walked back into the party.

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If you were to see Craig Ramirez on the morning of May 10th, you might think that someone died. He was surly, morbid, depressed, you name it. He cried himself to sleep the night before, so he was also tired. He wanted to feel Eric's touch desperately, kiss him one more time.

Thus he made the decision to skip school and follow the Blonnowitz family to the airport.

The problem was that Kevin had work, so there would be no van. Josh and Mindy agreed to drive him. Josh was absolutely oblivious to why they were going, but Mindy kept giving Craig worried, pitying looks.

They stood in a tree house next door and looked out the window. It broke Craig's heart to see Eric have all forms of contact taken away. His phone, his laptop, even a notebook and pen. Then Mr. Blonnowitz grabbed Eric by the collar and shoved him into the car. Craig burst into sobs.

"God, please…stop hurting him. Don't make him leave me." Josh had this weird look on his face but Mindy held Craig and let him cry on her shoulder. The yellow minivan drove off.

"We're going to the airport." Josh shook his head angrily.

"Craig, no! Dude, we've already missed a bunch of school and…" Mindy glared at her sometimes-boyfriend.

"Oh, all right. What time is the flight?"

"12:15." Craig said clearly. Josh groaned and they piled back into the car.

When they arrived at the airport, Mindy got out a bag of disguises. She hurriedly dressed as an old, frail woman.

"What the _hell_ are you doing, Mindy? Are you drunk again?" Mindy giggled.

"Cute, but no. I'm going to find Eric and get his attention. Josh, you wait here and play lookout." Josh nodded. Mindy peered up at the flight board.

"Let's see…12:15 flight to San Juan…gate 7A, boarding in 15 minutes. Let's hurry." Craig peered at his watch.

"11:50. Got it." They rushed to the gate and peered around the crowd.

"Craig, go hide in the nearest restroom. You might have privacy with him there." Craig nodded.

"OK." He sneaked over to the restroom and peered around to see if anyone was in it. Then he waited.

"Psst. Eric. Eric, it's me, Mindy." Eric turned around when he heard her voice.

"What are you doing here?" Mindy grinned.

"I'm here to see you off properly. Listen, Craig's waiting for you in the nearest restroom." She pointed over to it. "He's desperate to say goodbye." Eric nodded. He walked up to his mom and asked to go to the bathroom. She nodded quickly but advised him not to take long.

"5 minutes, you got that?" 5 minutes would be all he needed. He walked over to the bathroom and knocked on the door.

"Craig?" Craig held his ear to the door.

"It's me." Eric said softly. Craig flung the door open and gave a cry of anguish, falling into his boyfriend's arms.

"Oh God…I couldn't just let you go." Eric nodded and pulled Craig tight, too tight to breathe.

"Je m'ennuierai de toi chèrement, amour." He said softly into Craig's ear, kissing it.

"Et toi, mon cherie." He let go of Craig and they faced each other, hands entwined, and foreheads together.

"I'm so afraid of him." Eric said quietly.

"I know. But I will not let _anything_ happen to you, got it?" Craig said fiercely.

"He can kill me when we get there and no one would ever find me." Eric was hyperventilating now, his fear consuming him and he couldn't breathe.

"Listen." Craig placed a hand on Eric's cheek.

"You'll be OK. We'll get through this." Then he shoved Eric against the wall of one of the stalls. He couldn't hold it in anymore. He kissed Eric passionately. Eric ran his fingers through Craig's hair and his tongue explored the inside of his one true love's mouth. It was beautiful. Eric's watch beeped in the middle and they quickly broke this kiss.

"I have to go." Eric said sadly. Craig kissed him softly on the mouth.

"I love you." Eric walked out of the room.

"Vice versa, mon amour." Craig smiled as the tears poured down his cheek.

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"Craig, can I talk to you?" Mr. Roland did not look upset. He looked a bit worried, actually. Craig Ramirez failed his chemistry final. Things like that did not happen. He remembers sitting at home grading the papers until he got to Craig's. He remembers going "Holy shit! What the fuck happened here?" when he was done with it. He remembers his wife yelling at him for it. Either Drake Parker put him up to this, or something was seriously wrong. He went with the latter because he knew that Craig and Eric were close. I mean, Eric had already been gone for a few weeks.

"Yeah." Craig sounded like something had killed him inside. He didn't look right either. He was pale. Listless. Unhappy. Like one of the emo kids in his 6th period class.

"You failed your final." Mr. Roland said. He did not sound angry. In fact, he sounded surprised. Worried.

"What's the actual grade?"

"A 58." Craig nodded.

"OK." Mr. Roland looked puzzled.

"That doesn't bother you?"

"Eric's gone. Nothing bothers me right now. It's just shit that keeps adding on to it, now." Mr. Roland nodded.

"Look, I know he was your best friend…"

"He's more than that. He's The One to me. I love him, Mr. Roland." Craig felt stupid confiding all of this to his chemistry teacher but he just let it all out.

"His dad took him away from me. He won't let us see each other." Mr. Roland nodded.

"Oh. It makes sense now, you know? Do you want to make up the test?" Craig shook his head.

"It's one fail. I can get over one fail."

"It's your final. They won't let you into the Advanced Senior courses if you fail this. Think about it. He's only going to be gone for a few months. Mess this up and you're done. Retake the test, OK? Saturday morning, June 6th. 8:00 AM." Craig nodded.

"OK."

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Eric had been beaten up at least six times since they arrived in San Juan. His mother didn't do anything about it, of course. Maureen would nurse his wounds. But it didn't matter if his dad beat him up a hundred times. There was an untreatable wound festering in his heart. He missed Craig. He missed Craig's hand on his arm. He missed kissing Craig. He choked up six times and his dad beat him with a baseball bat. He felt numb to it now.

"Eric?" He heard Maureen's voice again. She sounded pitying.

"Eric, I think I know how to help you." Eric shook his head.

"No, you don't, Maureen." Maureen nodded.

"Yes I do. Listen; stay here when we go to the museum. Say you can't move." Eric nodded.

"OK…"

"Do you know Craig's phone number?" Eric nodded.

"Memorized." Maureen nodded.

"Take my phone." She pressed her small flip phone into Eric's hand.

"Hide it. He doesn't think me and Mom are on your side. But we're getting kind of tired of him hitting us, too. And you don't even do anything. All you do is cry because you can't see the one you love, and there's nothing wrong with that." Eric nodded it.

"Thanks, Mo." Maureen nodded.

"It's nothing. You're my brother and I love you." Suddenly there was pounding on the door.

"ARE YOU GUYS READY?" Their father bellowed.

"I can't move, Dad…please let me stay here…" The door flung open. Mr. Blonnowitz looked at his son intensely.

"All right. Just this once. But don't think you can call that asshole Craig because it _will_ show up on the bill." He slammed the door behind him.

Eric waited until they were gone. He picked up the cell phone and dialed Craig's number.

Craig's phone rang at 5:00 in the morning.

"What the hell…?" The ring tone was the regular Cingular one saved for unknown numbers.

"Hello, and do you have _any_ idea what time it is?"

"Well, from where I'm lying it's 8:02 AM." Craig's heart leapt.

"Eric! Oh, God…" He choked up again.

"I miss you so much." Eric said quietly.

"I miss you, too." Craig was crying. "How were you able to call me?"

"Mo's phone."

"Oh. Well, I'm so happy you could call me, sweetheart." It was the first time he used an affectionate name that wasn't "love" or French, but he didn't feel awkward using it.

"I am, too." There was an awkward silence next.

"Are you doing OK?" Craig asked finally.

"Bit better than usual. He still beats me. But I get to be by myself a lot." Craig burst into sobs again.

"I'm being an idiot. I just can't stand that he hurts you."

"Shhh. It's all right. I'm OK. I'll be fine." Craig sniffed.

"I wish I could hold you across the phone lines." Eric chuckled.

"We'd probably get electrocuted and die."

"But would it matter we were together?"

"You're being so lovey-dovey. I miss you more, now."

"I need you."

"I love you." Silence again.

"How did you do on your final?"

"Failed it." Eric gasped.

"How badly did you fail?" Craig gave a low whistle that ended with an explosion noise.

"Lower than a 60?"

"A 58."

"Damn."

"I was too busy missing you to study. I'm retaking it this morning." Eric shook his head on the other end.

"Don't kill your grades over this, OK? It'll make us both feel worse." Craig nodded.

"OK."

They talked for another hour about everything that the other person had missed. After that hour, Eric heard the door locks turn.

"Look, I have to go…they're back…"

"I love you." The line was disconnected. Craig sat up in bed. He had a weird feeling. On one hand, he was _really_ happy Eric called. On the other hand, he wished that Eric didn't call. It made him miss him more.

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Finally, it was August 17th. The family packed and got ready to leave Puerto Rico. Eric's mom and sister kept looking at him nervously. His dad had assumed he met this really nice girl and got her phone number and everything and would visit her once a year. He would only reveal the truth when he was safe at home.

Craig also waited nervously for Eric to come back to him. He sat anxiously by the window of the apartment, checking his watch.

_It's 4:00. He was supposed to be back by 1:30…_

The flight wasn't delayed and everyone was unpacked. Eric sat up in his room, trying to make a decision that might cost him his life.

_Craig's probably worried sick._

He decided what he was going to do at 7:00. He stood up shakily, not only from jet lag and being beaten, but from fear.

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"I'm still in love with Craig." Maureen and Mrs. Blonnowitz looked instantly fearful. Eric's father's face was contorted with rage now.

"You WHAT?"

"I still love him. I will love him forever. I need him to survive." Mr. Blonnowitz's face curled into a very evil grin.

"You won't be doing much of that for long, anyway!" A fist flew out and slammed into Eric's face, knocking his glasses off. Suddenly his mother, who had done nothing in the past to save him, slapped his father in the face.

"DON'T TOUCH MY SON EVER AGAIN, YOU SON OF A BITCH!" But the man was already enraged, and he knocked his wife on the ground. He then turned to his son and grabbed him by the neck.

"YOU'D BETTER RUN LITTLE BOY AND YOU'D BETTER PRAY I DON'T FIND YOU!" He let go and Eric stood now, by himself. He showed no signs of fear.

"Well, _shit_, Dad. If you kill me, what do you think the police are going to do?"

"Don't you realize that I'm the police chief around here? I can't _get _in trouble."

"I support you, too, Eric!" Maureen's voice piped up. Eric's legs became weak. If something happened to his baby sister because of him…She ran over to hug him.

"I love you, Eric! I'll see you the first day of school!" Eric smiled at how strong his sister was.

"You're starting freshman year, right?" She nodded.

"GO UP TO YOUR ROOM, YOU LITTLE WHORE! YOU'LL BE NEXT!" Eric didn't know what to do. He bolted outside as Maureen bolted upstairs. He started running down the street but turned around to look through the windows of his house. He saw his dad beating up his mom and his sister calling 9-1-1.

"I am _so_ happy I can get the fuck out of there."

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Craig had miserably gone to bed at 8:00. Eric was obviously no longer in love with him. It had been a quick thing. Eric was probably going "What the hell was I thinking? Craig's a dude. I was probably just trying to be rebellious." He curled up in bed and cried himself to sleep again.

Eric walked down the street confidently. The muscles in his legs were probably destroyed by now, but he didn't care. He wanted to see his darling. He wanted to see his sweetheart, his reason for being, his One. Slowly, he entered the city, walking around cars and through other apartment complexes. He walked. And walked. And walked. He finally spotted Levi's van in the parking lot of one of the apartment complexes and went up to the front door.

Kevin strolled up to the door to let Eric in, motioning to Eponine that it was the kid from the hospital.

"You look like you just went through a meat grinder." He whispered, closing the door.

"Tell me something I don't know. Listen, can I get my pajamas on in your room? I don't want to disturb Craig until I actually let him know I'm here."

"Sure, kid."

Eric quickly got dressed for bed, took his apartment key, and walked in.

_He's so cute when he sleeps. Almost makes me not want to wake him up…_He shook Craig's shoulder. Craig slowly opened his eyes.

"Hnnn…Eric! You're home!" He pulled Eric into the bed with him and started crying once again. He thought that maybe after this he'll have cried all his tears. There's been too much grief going on.

"I thought you left me!" Eric kissed him on the forehead as they held each other, shaking with sobs.

"I'm never going to leave you." Craig grinned, and they flipped over so that he was on top of Eric.

"Well, that's good. I still haven't been able to do _this_ yet." With that he smashed his lips against Eric's, surging their hips together. He bit softly on Eric's lower lip, causing him to moan, and the vibrations felt good against Craig's lips. He started unbuttoning the first few buttons on Eric's shirt and Eric broke the kiss. Craig looked surprised.

"Not now. I might sound foolish, but…I'm not really ready for that, yet." Craig nodded and kissed Eric on the cheek.

"I understand completely. I just probably rushed into something I wasn't ready yet." He rolled over again so that he was lying next to Eric. Eric laid his head on Craig's chest and slowly started to nod off.

"I love you." He said. Craig smiled.

"I love you, too. Welcome home."

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GOD that was a hard chapter to work with, mainly because I didn't want to write it in the first place. But I had to because I want to keep SOME plot intact, and Eric had to go to Puerto Rico, so…

Also, you will notice that the chapters are getting WAY longer. I mean, I think chapter 3 where Eric was in the hospital was 4 pages. This one is 10 pages.

I want to seriously thank jannikajade for inspiring me to finish this chapter with her fic "Like yellow does on blue". You should read hers after you're done with mine!

Chapter 6 WILL be coming soon because I'm finally on track with how I wanted this story to go in the first place.


	6. Eric Victorious

Woot! I'm on a roll again. Yaaay! Anyway, thanks to my peeps WiseDraco and especially my home girl Drake'sgirl for reviewing my stuff. You waited religiously? Dude. I feel bad now. So here's the next chapter.

Also, Megan is 14 in this. Poetic license. Plus, her age really isn't important when the story is about Craig and Eric.

Chapter 5

Eric Victorious

Craig woke up to the smell of food. Food? There had been no real food in the apartment since the last owners left. Mostly he ate TV dinners. There was seriously real food in the house…? And on the first day of senior year?

Lucky him.

He stood up and walked into the kitchen.

"Aha." Eric was behind the stove, frying bacon and eggs and baking biscuits. He jumped.

"Oh. Good morning!" With the corner of his eye watching the stove like a hawk, he walked over and gave Craig a loving kiss.

"Morning, sweetheart. Huh. Food."

"Yes, food."

"How the hell did you get food?" Eric grinned.

"I bought it, dear."

"You brought money?" Eric nodded.

"Just enough to get us through to next month." Craig smiled and took Eric by the hand. He brought it slowly up to his lips.

"I promise you I am getting a job. Wal-Mart has loads of openings." Eric shook his head.

"But what about school?" Craig smirked.

"I've already been accepted to UCLA _with _a scholarship. You worry about yourself, OK?" Eric nodded.

"Sit down to eat."

When they were finished with breakfast, Craig started getting ready for school. He sighed when he stepped into the shower.

_He takes good care of me. Makes me wonder if I really deserve it…_

When they were both ready to go, Eric grabbed his backpack.

"Meh. We'll be a half-hour early…got your project?" Craig nodded, picking up a model.

"Yup."

Suddenly there was a knock on the door. Eric sighed and walked up to the door. He opened it to find his sister. She was battered and bruised, but she had a wide grin on her face and she waved to her brother. It made him proud.

"Hi, you guys!" Eric blinked.

"Hey, kiddo. What's up?" He looked at his sister up and down. He then clicked his tongue.

"Come in. You look starved. I'll heat up what's left of breakfast and then I'll clean up your battle scars a little bit. Must have fought that bastard off somehow after he finished with Mom." Maureen nodded.

"OK." She walked in and sat at the kitchen counter, kicking her legs a bit. She was nervous.

"You have a really nice place, you guys." She said quietly, munching on her food. Eric looked at her.

"Thanks." There was an awkward silence for two minutes. Then…

"Mom's in the hospital." Maureen said. Eric nodded.

"I see. Is she OK?"

"We don't know yet. By the looks of it, though, it'll be a couple weeks." Eric nodded again.

"They can't leave you in that hell hole, though." Eric said incredulously.

"Not until they arrest him, that is." Craig added. Maureen nodded.

"I don't want to be at the shelter by myself, though. Grandma's too far away…" Eric knew what was coming…

"They wanted to know if I had any other family in the city." She said nervously.

"I said yes, my older brother. They said I should ask you so here I am." Eric's face broke into a smile.

"You can stay as long as you need to. We have plenty of room, right?" Craig looked at Eric with concern.

"Food?"

"When you get your job we'll have enough. Please, Craig? She's my sister." Craig nodded.

"All right." After they finished eating, Eric cleared up the dishes and they started for school again.

"Hey, there's Megan!" She ran up to her best friend and left the two lovebirds behind.

They looked at each other, smiling.

"I love you so much. Maybe we should…" Craig trailed off, looking unsure of his action.

"Maybe we should what?" Eric interrupted Craig.

"Maybe we should…um…hold hands? Going into school?" Craig looked into Eric's eyes pleadingly.

"You've been looking forward to this for a long time, haven't you?" Eric smiled lovingly.

"Uh-huh." Eric took Craig's hand, fingers entwining.

"I love you." Craig blinked. He had this guilty pang in his stomach. Eric was too good. Too sweet. Too honest. Too pure. Even that wretched father of his didn't ruin such purity.

"I love you too. With all my heart. You have to believe that, even though you're too good for me." Eric looked puzzled.

"Are you mad at me…? When did I say I was too good for…?" Craig put his hand over Eric's warm lips, could feel them curl into a sweet smile.

"No, I just know it. You cooked me breakfast this morning. You brought money. You endured your dad. You help me with everything. You take such good care of me…" He could feel his lip quiver and his eyes fill with tears.

"I don't deserve you, Eric…" Eric clicked his tongue and pulled Craig close to him.

"Yes, you do. You saved me, Craig." He shook his head.

"We're gonna be late for school." They ran up to the front and took a deep breath, squeezing each other's hands.

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Craig kicked the door open.

They were met by cheers. Mindy rushed over to Eric and threw her arms around him and then Josh and Clayton and Michelle and Edgar walked over and it was amazing. Drake Parker even smiled at them as the large, nerdy group walked past him, and his girlfriend Carly winked.

They halted at Eric's locker, always the first one in the group alphabetically.

"They _really_ need to let seniors pick what locker they get. I'm so tired of being away from everyone." Michelle laughed.

"Jeez, Eric, I'm in your homeroom!" Eric shuffled his feet nervously.

"Yeah, but I meant…" And everyone knew what he meant. After all, "B" and "R" were extremely far away in the alphabet. Craig's homeroom was 3 halls down. Eric sighed as the bell rang. Josh and Mindy walked down to her homeroom and Clayton to his. Michelle whirled around and scampered into her and Eric's homeroom. Eric turned to his boyfriend, who was slowly slumping down the hall. He grabbed Craig by the shoulder and turned him around, kissing him forcefully.

"See you 5th period." He said breathily. Craig nodded.

Eric noticed a new spring to both their steps as they walked to their homerooms.

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Woo-hoo! I thank my new lovelies! The reviewers who reviewed while this was in progress! Thanks to everyone on LiveJournal, and the Drake and Josh fan forum who reviewed this while I was on a little mini-hiatus.

Also, I totally got the chapter title from Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince.

Snape Victorious just sounded pretty badass.

Also, the way the homerooms go...that's how they do it at my school.

Stay tuned!


	7. Walmart Wonder

Kay. So I got a bunch of reviews for 5 and NOW I can get my ass in gear with the rest.

Enjoy. 

Chapter 6

Wal-Mart Wonder

About a few weeks into the school year, Craig came home with a white Wal-Mart bag.

"You're home late." Eric teased, glancing at the clock at the corner of his laptop screen. Craig had told him he would be back at 6:45. It was 6:50. I mean, it was only 5 minutes, sure. But Craig was never late. Ever.

Maureen, laptops, and Craig going off to find work after school had become permanent fixtures in Eric's life. Eric made him promise that he wouldn't do Wal-Mart. There was absolutely no dignity in that job. He remembered begging Craig to try and intern _everywhere_. _Someone_ had to accept him. I mean, good Lord. He's amazing.

Once again, Craig felt that he had let Eric down.

Didn't stop him from trying to hide it, however.

"Hey, honey." Craig said sweetly, putting the bag with his vest in it in the corner. Eric stood up and took Craig's hand.

"Oh, you're so cold." He pulled Craig over to the small, somewhat lumpy couch, sat him in a good spot, and sat on his lap. They kissed briefly, for a second if not less. Eric nuzzled Craig's neck.

"'Ponine came by." He said casually. Craig froze.

"_Ah? Bon?_"

"_Oui, bon._" Eric looked a bit suspicious. Craig kissed him again, this time with more force, when Maureen walked in. Eric quickly broke.

"Would you _mind?_" He snapped at his sister.

"Well, Eric. How about you try making out in _your_ room? The TV's in _here_ and my program's on!" Eric grinned. Suddenly there was a noise like a bag rustling.

"Hey, what's this?" Craig froze then stood quickly.

"Mo, it's private, don-" But it was too late. The Walmart vest, pin and all, was exposed. Eric looked at Craig with a mixed expression. Craig hated mixed expressions. He decided to speak.

"Eric, I know you're mad, but…" But his boyfriend was shaking his head, somewhat smiling.

"I'm not mad. I'm just…I dunno…"

"Disappointed." Craig finished. His heart sank like it was made of lead. Eric, smiling sheepishly, nodded slowly.

"I would rather you be mad." Craig said, choking back tears.

"Why wouldn't anyone else take you?" Craig looked a bit more relieved now. He _did_ have a good reason.

"Well…" He started slowly.

"They asked me what my current living situation was." Eric nodded.

"Uh-huh."

"I said I was an emancipated minor who lived with my boyfriend. They ended the interview right there." The truth began to dawn on Eric.

"They turned you down because you're gay?" Craig was on the verge of tears.

"I'm totally not blaming you for any of this. You come before my job."

"No, it's fine. If that's the only reason then it's fine." Craig sighed in relief.

"Good. They've got me on electronics." Eric smiled.

"Well at least you're working with your favorite things." He kissed Craig again. No matter what they went through, he loved Craig more than anything in the world.

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Eric didn't like Craig's shift for two reasons. It was at night, for one. They had him working from 6-1, which meant that not only would they miss out on spending time with each other, but Craig would also get like 4 hours of sleep on school nights. He worked every day except Saturday. It worried Eric.

The first day was relatively exciting. Maureen enjoyed spending time with her older brother. He took her out for ice cream for a little bit, then they came home and watched TV for a little while and then Maureen went to bed at ten.

He stared after her a little bit, and then he began to feel the emptiness around when Craig wasn't home. They had been separated again, but this time it would happen every day. Eric would rather they be homeless sometimes. Maureen was nice, she loved him, tried to cheer him up, was his _sister_, did everything, but she couldn't _love_ him like Craig could. Gone were the nights of just cuddling up in front of the TV and just _kissing_ each other until there was no breath to spare between them. The two hours from when they got home from Drama Club and Show Choir, respectively, were the only time they had, but even then Craig was rushing around getting ready for work and Eric was making dinner.

Then he thought he would look forward to Saturdays, but on Saturday Craig liked to catch up on some of the sleep he missed and homework he didn't do. Then he'd be with Eric for the rest of the day.

It made Eric feel like they weren't together anymore, and it sucked.

Finally, on the first Friday of the 2nd month, he couldn't take it.

He would see Craig at work. Hell, if Craig can't come to him, he'd go to Craig.

He got dressed in a nice polo and jeans and made sure someone was with Maureen before he left. He stopped on the way and picked up the finest in Mexican cuisine: Taco Bell. He knew Craig absolutely loathed Burger King and that just so happened to be the mini-restaurant inside the Walmart.

He parked the car he borrowed from Kevin near the front and got out. He then slipped into the nearest restroom to fix himself up before strolling casually over to electronics. He laughed to himself watching a very stressed-out Craig hurry irate people around.

"Excuse me, sir, but can you help me find something?" He changed his voice, making it sound lower and gruffer. Craig didn't turn around.

"What are you looking for, sir?" He said politely but hurriedly. Eric smiled, going back to his normal voice.

"I'm looking for my heart. A scrawny little smartass named Craig seems to have stolen it from me." Craig turned around so fast that the plastic wrap on the CDs rustled.

"I'm afraid I can't give that back to you, sir." He said, feigning solemnity. Eric grinned, going in to kiss him but Craig stopped him.

"Working much?" Eric blushed.

"Ooh, sorry. Listen, when's your next break?"

"I have a 15 minute break to go eat that dog crap they call food at 9. I can't go home and come back…" Eric pressed a hand to his lips.

"Don't worry about it. I have food outside in the car. It'll still be warm when we get to it, I promise." Craig rolled his eyes.

"You're going to wait for an hour and fifteen minutes?" Eric smiled slyly.

"It was the general plan, yeah." Craig started to grin, too.

"You're _so_ impossible to deal with."

"And you love how impossible I can be." He sat on a bench outside of electronics and listened to his iPod, dreaming of Craig.

Then the music stopped.

"Shit." His iPod died. He looked at the digital clock behind the counter. It said 8:50. Ten more minutes. He crawled behind the counter and hugged Craig from behind.

"Ten more minutes, _mon cherie_." He whispered softly. Craig repressed a shudder of excitement as Eric's breath tickled his neck.

"Hn. Yeah, you're right. More like 7 minutes now, though." Eric smiled against his neck.

"I'm gonna wander through electronics while I wait."

"OK."

Seven minutes passed like seven hours. He constantly looked at the clock. Finally, he heard a low, manly voice.

"All right, Ramirez, shift's over. Come back at 9:30." Craig nodded and ran over to Eric, who threw his arms around him.

"I missed you." Craig whispered in his ear.

"I missed you, too." Slowly, arm-in-arm, they walked to Kevin's car. They climbed into the back seat mischievously. Eric pulled out the Taco Bell bag.

"Thank God! I'm starving!" Eric gave him his Fiesta Bowl. Then he curled up against his shoulder as they ate silently. Finally, Eric spoke.

"You should ask them to cut your shift down to 11 and give you Fridays off. This ridiculousness about you being up until 1:30 in the morning is killing you _and_ your grades. As much as I love Mindy, I do _not_ want her to be Valedictorian." Craig swallowed.

"You can do it. I don't think I can handle school any more." Eric took his hand as cars passed by.

"Don't do this, Craig. As your boss if you could please make your shifts more manageable." Craig shrugged.

"I guess it's worth a shot."

It was 9:28 now. Eric looked a bit saddened by this. He knew Craig wasn't going to get his hours shortened. And the wounds started festering again.

"Bye, sweetheart." He said, swallowing back the tears that he just wanted to let out onto Craig's shoulder. Not just because he knew Craig had to leave, but because of the wickedness of the world, the cruelty of their parents, and the despair of the situation they were in.

"Bye." Craig shoved his hands into his pockets and shuffled back into the building, the building now known to Eric as the 7th Layer of Hell. Eric started the car and cried all the way back.

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Eric got ready to go to bed at 11:30 when he heard the apartment door open.

"Where are _you_ going, Mau-Craig?!" His boyfriend smiled sheepishly, putting down his vest and slumping on the couch, rubbing his eyes.

"You're home early." Eric observed.

"I told him everything."

"Told _who_ everything?" Craig smiled softly.

"My boss, honey. Mr. Anderson. I told him about our whole situation and what's going on and he completely understood. Told me his daughter was a lesbian and how hard of a time she has all the time so he cut my hours without cutting my pay." Eric threw his arms around him.

"Oh, I'm so happy!" Craig smiled and nuzzled his neck.

"So what do you want to do on Friday?" Eric pulled away slowly and gave Craig a small peck on the lips.

"You go enjoy yourself on Friday night. I heard there was a party going on at Josh's house and I don't really want to go. Go enjoy yourself for once!" Craig looked surprised, had known how much Eric missed him, but figured that Eric really did care enough to just let him be by himself for a while.

"Thanks, love. I think I will."

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…get my ass in gear my left foot. I think that was the longest delay in the story's history. I'm really sorry and honestly I don't have an excuse. Well, no. I do have one. From April 22-beginning of June or something I've been so grounded from the computer that my mom ripped it out of the wall.

So yeah. I AM SO SORRY FOR THE DELAY, EVERYONE. Thanks to everyone (especially jannika and TheRussianLunchLady) for really being a motivator to get me to where I am right now. I promise you that next chapter won't have the same horrible delay.


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